We are closer
by Itinerant Poet
Summary: Quinn and Rachel find themselves in NYC
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **We are closer...  
**Pairing:** Faberry  
**Author:** ItinerantPoet (Cuteginger)  
**Word Count:** 1,203 (chapter 1)  
**Rating:** M (for future chapters)  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in this fiction; it is just an idea that wanted to be written.  
**Summary:** Quinn and Rachel find themselves together in NYC

We are closer…

For the longest moment she couldn't move, didn't dare move, should anything give her away, she almost closed her eyes, on the off chance that if she could not see, then she could not be seen. Closing her eyes though seemed to take monumental effort and she worried that if she blinked, if she took one second away from what she was currently captured by, then they might disappear, turn into just a figment of her imagination.

It was the movement of the wind as it picked up momentarily and ruffled her skirt that broke her from her reverie, not her senses suddenly coming back to her, or her head over-riding her heart. Instead just a gust of wind, no more special than any other, and yet this one, this very movement of air around her marked something, something so deep inside her that she was unsure exactly what had just transpired over the last, god, she didn't even know how long she had been there, mere seconds, or hours, she couldn't really tell. Had she taken a moment and looked around her she would had noticed that it couldn't have been more than a few minutes as the same people she had watched walk through the park were only just ahead of her, and the sun was still over head, its beating winter rays trying desperately to convey some sort of warmth, instead it just offered a weak yellow glow to the day to brighten all the woolen clothes that had come to frolic through the weekend at the park.

She was going to turn around and walk away, she'd spent too many lonely nights, listening to her roommate try to type quietly as she rushed to complete a paper, thinking about this all to let it come crumbling down into a pile of leaves at her feet. She was going to do a lot of things, over the past 6 months, none of them had really come to fruition, but now turning around and walking away should have been the really sensible thing to do, headphones in, jacket pulled tight around her and she could disappear. Instead, that moment's hesitation was all it took for a 5 year old boy to come barreling into her, his small body impacting with her legs as he ran, turned, and blushed, his apology lost in the youthful exuberance and the shining eyes of adventure.

"Hey" was all she could manage to call as he ran off, his small body weaving in and out of the other people towards his guardian, already too interested in what was going to happen next to bother with the lady he had just ran in to.

Brushing down her jacket, and resettling herself, she found that she had spun, 180 degrees and was facing the way she had come. Back into the park and towards Poets Walk, it had taken her exactly 27 minutes to walk, with a relaxed gait, from the park entrance to where she now stood, and she knew that perhaps she could stretch her return walk to 45 minutes, this would not fill her day as she had hoped, the park offered her too few temptations, but too many distractions that she couldn't deal with, not today at any rate.

"Quinn?" she heard muttered, just to the left of her, so quietly that if she hadn't let her ear buds fall from her ears earlier she could have pretended that she hadn't heard it.

Turning slowly she was met with the familiar eyes that had burnt into her memory, for what seemed like her whole life, but the last moment, the final time she had seen the deep chocolate filled with tears was the moment she watched the train pull away the summer before. Now they looked unsure, deep and enquiring, like she was waiting on this answer to show her some new light, a new discovery that held so much promise.

"Rachel..." Quinn offered as a feeble welcome.

"What are you doing in New York, in Central Park, here?" Rachel asked, Quinn noted that her eyes flitting all over her body, avoiding direct contact until she uttered the final word.

"Would you believe me if I said I don't know?" Quinn offered.

"No, but something tells me that's the truth." Rachel sighed, pulling her jacket closer around her.

"My roommate's boyfriend is over, and something felt different, like I needed to escape for the day, and New Haven didn't have anything, there was a pull here, I thought maybe i could walk around the city for the day, get lost in the crowds, find a record store or a book shop and get lost." Quinn rushed out.

"Do you have time?" Rachel offered as her only reply.

"My planned train is in 7 hours and 49 minutes" Quinn said quietly, glancing at her watch. "I had hoped that this park would entertain me more than it has, all I've found so far is a 5 year old bumping into my leg, and I think perhaps this city is a little too big for me just me right now."

"Ah yes, that's how I spotted you, I heard you call after him." Rachel blushed.

"Oh," Quinn could only manage that one word, she hoped that Rachel hadn't seen her watch here before, she had been so lost in soaking up the image that was her friend, she could call her that now she hoped, that she hadn't realised that perhaps, Rachel might see her too. She was almost glad for the young boy, he perhaps had saved her from being caught starring.

"Come with me, spend the afternoon with me?" Rachel offered quietly, holding out her hand, clothed delicately in a simply thin black glove.

"I won't keep you from something?" Quinn asked, a blush bubbling around her cheeks.

"No, you're in my city, I would like to show you around, and if I'm honest, I've missed you Lucy Quinn Fabray." She smiled, a flutter catching in her heart as she saw Quinn respond to the utterance of her full name.

"Then Rachel Barbara Berry, I would love to spend the afternoon with you," Quinn replied, she placed her hand in the outstretched palm and felt a new warmth travel up her arm, and into her veins. The shock of the feeling was over taken by a familiarity, she knew, somewhere inside of her what this feeling was.

"Yay, I'm so excited, you are the first real person I get to show New York." Rachel said giddily.

"First?" Quinn asked.

"Well Kurt moved here, and we live together, but I only got to show him my favourite bars and stuff, he already knew New York like he was born with a map as his pillow, I'm telling you he knows this place better than I do." Rachel flustered.

"I don't believe anyone could know this city better than you do, so show me, show me your New York Rachel." Quinn smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: We Are Closer

Chapter: 2/?

Pairing: Faberry

Author: ItinerantPoet

Rating: M (for later chapters and strong use of language in this one)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is just something that has played out in my mind a few times

"You're sure that you don't have somewhere else to be?" Rachel asked nervously, they had walked for a few moments in familiar silence, no longer the burn of a hated tension between them, the few months apart had calmed the anger that had flared between them in High School and the air around them buzzed with a future filled with promise.

"No, I've told you I have the whole day, and I want to spend it with you Rach," Quinn explained again.

"Rach..." Rachel smiled shyly.

"Sorry, can I not call you that?" Quinn blushed for a moment, cross at herself that she had let her secret familiarity with Rachel creep up on her, she had not even managed half an hour before the giddiness of finally seeing the smaller girl had overwhelmed her concentration.

"No, it's nice, you've just, you've changed haven't you?" She offered as a response.

"Yeah, I think I have, I'm sorry you know," Quinn decided to add.

"This is not the day for all that. Shall we just start as old friends," Rachel stopped and turned so that she was facing Quinn.

"Start as old friends, I like that." Quinn smiled, letting her happiness that was flooding her very being, eek out into her eyes so that the smile brought sunshine to her whole face.

"So, tell me about Yale, you've been very lax in the communication department Miss Fabray, for an old friend you really have forgotten to fill me in on the most important developments in your life." Rachel smiled, linking their arms and pulling Quinn along with her, letting the breeze from the day ruffle her coat and scarf a little and infiltrate the deep breath that she took.

"How about I tell you about Yale over coffee, I could murder a fresh cup of New York Coffee, do you mind?" Quinn responded.

"Not at all, I know the perfect place, but don't think that this gets you out of telling me every little detail about Yale, and your life, I know so little about you really," Rachel offered looking a little sad at the realisation that all she knew about Quinn she had gathered as ammunition against the onslaught of violent words she had been subjected too over the years. She'd never had the courage to fight back and it was now, as they walked through the park to a coffee shop that she realised just how please she was that she hadn't. Forgiving was easier, she felt, when there was only one party to forgive.

"I'm sorry," Quinn let her disappointment wash over her face, her emotions so evident that she was surprised she didn't burst into tears there in the park.

"No, not now, I didn't mean it like that, let me know this new Quinn, this exquisitely beautiful, clever, here in New York Quinn," Rachel blushed at her admission.

"You think I'm beautiful?" Quinn asked, shyly catching Rachel's eye, holding it there for a split second too long before dropping her gaze.

"I meant what I said at prom Quinn, I meant every word I've ever said about how amazing you are, and can be." Rachel failed to meet her friends eyes at this admission and instead pulled them again into a walk, the pace slow but the silence now seemed to permeate their beings and they found themselves speeding up, both ready to start these new friend conversations.

"Is this place ok?" Rachel asked, they had been walking for 10 minutes or so an although the conversation had been light, mainly about the things they passed as they left the park, it was still a little awkward, neither knowing how to progress after Rachel's admission.

"This looks great Rach, thanks. I'll be glad to be indoors for a little while" Quinn smiled and held the door open. The small coffee shop was just a few streets over from the main road, but its quaint New York feel made it feel cosy, and although it was the weekend it didn't seem to busy, the smell of the coffee roaster permeating the air around them and the immediate warmth of the cafe flushed both girls faces.

The queue only took a moment to disappear and they had only managed to unzip their coats before it was there turn to order.

"What do you want Quinn, my treat?" Rachel offered, pulling her bag around so she could rescue her wallet.

"Are you sure? An extra shot mocha please." Quinn smirked, the lady behind the counter was checking Rachel out with little discretion and she knew that rachel hadn't seen it, she seemed oblivious and although it wasn't a correct assumption she like the fact that the following look at her from the barista, catching her eye as she responded to Rachel, she saw Quinn as competition.

"Of course, one soy chai latte and an extra shot mocha please" Rachel turned and asked the barista.

"No problem gorgeous," the barista winked at Rachel, and seemed pleased when the girl blushed profusely.

"We'll be in the corner, thanks" Quinn interrupted, using a watered down HBIC stare to get her point across. In that moment she suddenly felt a surge of anger flood through her veins, it passed quickly but the residual burn was an unpleasant feeling.

"I never pegged you for a mocha fan Quinn, that's the first thing i've learnt about you today, I'm enjoying this." Rachel smiled broadly as they sat, their bags and coats quickly shrugged off in the warmth of the cafe.

"Not always, but its the sweet tooth that i've never quite shaken after Beth," Quinn explained.

"You did always seem to be eating candy when you were pregnant, it was quite reassuring to see that HBIC had some weaknesses, though i wouldn't have dared say that to your face." Rachel blushed a little, realising that she was giving far more than she had intended with that comment.

"Well you can say it to me now, that's ok right?" Quinn responded.

"Yes, of course, we're friends Quinn" Rachel smiled, noticing the waitress loitering to the side of the table, waiting for a lull in their conversation to deliver thier drinks.

"Hi, here are your drinks ladies," the waitress only smiled at Rachel, ignoring Quinn entirely as she put the first drink down.

"I was wondering, if I could give you my number, you're incredibly beautiful and i would love to take you out sometime" the waitress placed a napkin down on the table in front of Rachel.

"I'm sorry, i'm not, I'm not..." Rachel stuttered.

"I'm Kath, it'd be a relaxed date, nothing too pressured, I promise, we could even just go for coffee." The waitress added, pushing the napkin closer to Rachel's clenched fingers.

"Can you just fuck off please, can't you see she's not interested" Quinn snapped, feeling the blush rising as she saw the shocked look cross Rachel's face as she cussed.

"Quinn," Rachel said, shocked, "I'm sorry for my friend" she offered to the waitress as she placed the second drink down on the table.

"No problem, I thought it was worth a shot, I didn't realise you were together, my fault" the waitress smiled as she backed away, the tray cradled in her arm ready to be laden with more drinks as the queue developed.


End file.
